Californians Together:
Championing Educational Success for English Learners
Media Contacts:
Mario Ceballos
CABE Media Director
(213) 819-5202
Shelly Spiegel-Coleman
Californians Together President
(562) 756-0493
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
State Demonstrates Flat, Lack Luster Test Results for English Learners. Superintendent O’Connell Continues to Excuse a Failing System for California’s 1.6 Million English Learners.
For the fifth consecutive year, the persistent achievement gap continues to hurt English learners and haunt the California Department of Education. Superintendent O’Connell fails to address the poor performance of English learner without offering any real solutions, including providing additional textbooks options to help narrow the growing academic achievement gap.
West Covina, CA (August 15, 2006) - Today’s released 2006 results for the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program (STAR) by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell can best be described as “a long flat road to nowhere for California’s minority and English learner students, “ states Shelly Spiegel-Coleman, President of Californians Together.
Speigel-Coleman adds, “Once again, the state’s own data is evidence of an inadequate educational system that is not effectively responding to the needs of California’s most disadvantaged students. The current system is one that year after year continues to fail 25% of California’s students.”
Based on the results of the California Standards Tests in Reading/Language Arts, English Learners in grades 2 – 11, show a persistent widening of the achievement gap and lower scores in most grades from 2003 to 2006. The graph below shows that the achievement gap has continued to be close to 40 percentage points between English only and English learners.
“Clearly, these results demonstrate a chronic and alarming problem affecting the ability of our educational system to prepare our English learners to succeed in this global economy,” says Martha Hernandez, President of the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE). “Unfortunately, it is the state’s students who suffer the greatest consequence caused by entrenched politics and a failed ‘one size fits all’ approach adopted by the State Board of Education (SBE).”
In April 2006, the SBE did not vote to adopt an additional textbook option specifically designed to help English learners accelerate English language acquisition contained in SB 1769 Accelerated English Program. Senator Martha Escutia authored SB 1769 to address the achievement gap through the adoption of additional textbooks written in English to assist English learners in improving their English language acquisition.
Over 40 school districts across the state and publishers of educational materials support the consideration of a viable solution, such as SB 1769, to help reduce the achievement gap between fluent English speakers and English learners. The SBE’s action in April 2006 was seen as another rejection of any approach that is different from the status quo.
“It is sad that it takes legislation instead of SBE action to change a system that is just not working for every student in California’s schools,” states Maria Quezada, Ph. D, Executive Director of CABE. “The growing achievement gap is further evidence of the SBE’s negligence in addressing the issue of minority and English Learner achievement”, she goes on to state, “It takes more than just an apology from Superintendent Jack O’Connell every year to make the needed changes. He must take an active leadership role; put politics and ideologies aside, and take action on behalf of 25% of California’s students. There should not be any more excuses—we must demand more from the people who are charged with ensuring that viable policies and programs reach every student.”
CABE and Californians Together continue to advocate for state-adopted textbooks designed to accelerate language and literacy development of English learners, a state-wide teacher training program to help teachers of English learners, and passage of key legislation requiring the state to develop valid and reliable achievement exams as outlined by No Child Left Behind.
“The SBE needs to take an honest look at this year’s STAR results and recognize that the path they are taking for our students is not leading our state’s future workforce toward academic or economic achievement,” states Alma Hernandez, CABE Director of Parent Relations. “Parents need a change in policy, practice and a deeper commitment to educate child because our future depends on it. Obstinate politics should not occur at the expense of California’s competitive future or that of its students.”
CABE is a statewide organization with over 6,000 members and 60 chapters/affiliates who firmly believe in the learning of English, high quality educational programs and respect for diversity of California’s students and parents. CABE supports research, planning and learning to guide equitable instructional programs and practices for English Learners. Together is a statewide coalition of parents, teachers, and education advocates and civil rights organizations committed to securing equal access to quality education for all children. Californians Together founded in 1998 as a non-profit organization after the passage of Proposition 227. Californians Together, in conjunction with many of its affiliates, strive to foster full participation in a democratic society through quality education for children and parents from underserved communities